Refrigerator and Shelf for Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator includes a main body having one or more storage spaces; one or more doors, each configured to open and close at least one of the storage space(s); one or more shelves in the storage space(s), configured to store or support food and having a plate or substantially planar form and a predetermined thickness; a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air and/or to maintain the storage space(s) at a predetermined temperature; and a multi-duct including a first cool air discharge port configured to receive the cool air from the cool air supply device, provide the cool air to the storage space(s), and/or discharge the cool air. The shelf includes a body including a flow path therein through which the cool air may flow. The body has a first side including a cool air inlet connected to the first cool air discharge port, configured to introduce the cool air into the flow path, and a second side including a third cool air discharge port configured to discharge the cool air from the flow path to the storage space(s).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a shelf for the refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

A refrigerator may be a device intended for storing food at a low temperature, and may be configured to freeze or refrigerate the food, depending on the type of food to be stored and/or the duration of storage. To this end, the refrigerator may include a cool air supply device with a cooling cycle implemented. The cool air supply device is configured such that a refrigerant undergoes the process of compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation to generate cool air as the refrigerant circulates in the cooling cycle. The cool air from an evaporator of the cool air supply device is supplied to the storage space of the refrigerator and the cool air in the storage space of the refrigerator is circulated by convection so that the food inside of the refrigerator may be stored under the required temperature conditions. Generally, a main body of the refrigerator has a rectangular parallelepiped or cuboid shape in which a front face is opened. The inner part of the main body includes a refrigerating chamber and a freezing chamber. The front face of the main body is provided with a refrigerating chamber door and a freezing chamber door for selectively shielding the opening(s).

Such refrigerators may be classified into a Top-Mount Type, in which the freezing chamber is above the refrigerating chamber, a Bottom-Freezer Type, in which the freezing chamber is below the refrigerating chamber, and a Side-by-Side Type, in which the freezing chamber and the refrigerating chamber are side-by-side.

Meanwhile, in order to retrieve the food stored in the refrigerator, the user has to open the refrigerating chamber door or the freezing chamber door, whereby relatively warm air from outside the refrigerator may flow into the refrigerating chamber or the freezing chamber. The outside air may cause the temperature in the refrigerator to rise, and the cool air supply device may need to be activated to maintain a proper temperature.

The cool air from such a cool air supply device may be discharged through a multi-duct on the rear wall of the refrigerator and may circulate in the refrigerating chamber. However, in the conventional multi-duct, the cool air is discharged at a predetermined position, irrespective of the location of the food in the refrigerating chamber. Thus, there is a problem in that the cool air may not be efficiently supplied and/or circulated within the refrigerating chamber.

Further, since only cool air is supplied to the cool air discharge port of the multi-duct, there is a disadvantage in that it takes a long time to supply and circulate the cool air throughout the entire refrigerating chamber and/or to cool the refrigerating chamber to a preset temperature (e.g., 4° C.).

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure advantageously solve the above problems and provide a refrigerator and a shelf for the refrigerator in which the time for supplying the cool air to and/or circulating the cool air throughout the entire interior of the refrigerator may be shortened.

Further, embodiments of the disclosure provide a refrigerator and a shelf for the refrigerator in which the cool air is efficiently supplied to and/or circulated throughout the entire interior of the refrigerator.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator, comprising a main body having one or more storage spaces; one or more doors, each configured to open and close at least one of the one or more storage spaces; one or more shelves in the one or more storage spaces, configured to store or support food and having a plate or substantially planar form and a predetermined thickness; a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air and/or to maintain the one or more storage spaces at a predetermined temperature; and a multi-duct including a first cool air discharge port configured to receive the cool air from the cool air supply device, provide the cool air to the one or more storage spaces, and/or discharge the cool air, wherein each of the one or more shelves includes a body comprising a flow path therein through which the cool air may flow, the body has a first side comprising a cool air inlet connected to the first cool air discharge port configured to introduce the cool air into the flow path, and a second side comprising a third cool air discharge port configured to discharge the cool air from the flow path to the one or more storage spaces.

The first cool air discharge port may be on a front face of the multi-duct.

The first cool air discharge port may extend in the front direction thereof (e.g., in front of the multi-duct, or towards the front of the refrigerator) and may be communicatively coupled to the cool air inlet.

The multi-duct may have a length that is oriented vertically in the one or more storage spaces, and the plurality of first cool air discharge ports may be along the multi-duct at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction (e.g., vertically along the multi-duct).

The body may have a side face coupled to an inner side or face of the one or more storage spaces.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shelf for a storage space of a refrigerator and configured to be coupled to a multi-duct that is configured to receive cool air from a cool air supply device in the refrigerator, the shelf comprising a cool air inlet configured to be communicatively coupled to the multi-duct; a cool air discharge port configured to discharge the cool air from the cool air inlet, and a flow path in the shelf, configured to discharge the cool air from the multi-duct to the storage space.

The shelf may be configured for a plurality of storage spaces, the cool air inlet may be on a rear face of the shelf, and the cool air discharge port may be on a lower surface of the shelf.

The cool air discharge port may be configured to discharge the cool air towards food on another shelf (e.g., below the shelf).

The side face of the shelf may be coupled to an inside face of the storage space (or one of the storage spaces), and the cool air inlet may be configured to be communicatively coupled to the multi-duct.

The cool air inlet may fit with (e.g., securely to) a protruding discharge port of the multi-duct.

In a refrigerator and a shelf for the refrigerator according to embodiments of the disclosure, there is an advantage in that a rate of the cool air supplied to the interior of the refrigerator may increase or improve.

Further, there is an effect in that the cool air is efficiently supplied to the interior of the refrigerator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a general construction of a refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-duct and a shelf in the refrigerator of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Further, in the following description of the disclosure, detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when such descriptions may make the subject matter of the disclosure unclear.

Further, in the following description, it may be understood that the “front” or a “front direction” may be the direction toward the front face or side of the refrigerator (e.g., towards the outer surface of the door), the “rear” or a “rear direction” may be the direction toward a rear face or side of the refrigerator (e.g., towards the side or surface of the refrigerator opposite from the outer surface of the door), and a “left direction” and a “right direction” may be one side direction and the other side direction.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a general construction of a refrigerator. Specifically, a Top-Mount Type refrigerator is shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the refrigerator 1 is for storing food in a low-temperature state and may include a main body 10 having storage spaces 11 and 12 for one or more foods and at least one door 13 and 14 for opening and closing at least one of the storage spaces 11 and 12. As an example, the main body 10 may have a refrigerating chamber 11 and a freezing chamber 12 as storage spaces, and a front face of the main body 10 may have a refrigerating chamber door 13 hingedly attached thereto or mounted thereon, configured to selectively shield the refrigerating chamber 11, and a freezing chamber door 14 hingedly attached to or mounted on front face of the main body 10, configured to selectively shield the freezing chamber 12.

The refrigerator 1 has a structure in which the freezing chamber 12 is above the refrigerating chamber 11, and the cool air generated in the evaporator 17 in the rear of the main body 10 may be discharged into the freezing chamber 12 from the rear face of the freezing chamber 12.

The refrigerator 1 may include a cool air supply device to supply cool air through a cooling or refrigeration cycle to maintain the storage space(s) at a predetermined temperature, and the cool air supply device may include a compressor, an expansion valve, an evaporator 17, a condenser, and the like.

The compressor and the expansion valve of the cool air supply device may be in the machine room 16 on one side of the refrigerator 1. A refrigerant may be provided to the evaporator 17 located in the rear direction of the freezing chamber 12 and may generate the cool air by absorbing heat from air passing over the evaporator 17 to evaporate the refrigerant.

The generated cool air may be discharged to the inner space of the freezing chamber 12 by a fan 18. In this case, a part of the cool air discharged by the fan 18 may be guided to the refrigerating chamber 11 by a guide plate 18 a. Cool air may also be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 12 through a cool air supply passage 19 in a barrier defining the refrigerating chamber 11 and the freezing chamber 12 (e.g., through an interface between the refrigerating chamber 11 and the freezing chamber 12).

A plurality of shelves 15, a storage box or drawer, and the like for storing and keeping the food may be in the refrigerating chamber 11 and optionally, in the freezing chamber 12. The rear face of the doors 13 and 14 may include a plurality of shelves, baskets or pockets for storing food or other items. A user may efficiently store the food in the storage space inside the refrigerator using the food storage mechanisms in the storage space such as the shelves 15, the storage box or drawer, the baskets or pockets, and the like.

The refrigerating chamber 11 may include a multi-duct 20 configured to discharge the cool air at a plurality of points. The multi-duct 20 may be fixed to the rear face of the refrigerating chamber 11 to discharge the cool air through the cool air supply passage 19 to the inside of the refrigerating chamber 11. To this end, a cool air inlet (not shown) may be on the upper surface of the multi-duct 20 to receive the cool air. Further, the multi-duct 20 may have a length that is oriented vertically in the refrigerating chamber 11 to discharge the cool air at a plurality of points along the vertical direction (e.g., between the storage drawer and the interface with the freezing chamber 12). Accordingly, the cool air from the cool air supply device may be supplied to the refrigerating chamber 11 through the multi-duct 20.

The multi-duct 20 may have a fan assembly (not shown) by which the temperature inside the refrigerating chamber 11 may be uniformly distributed by circulating the cool air inside the refrigerating chamber 11, and the temperature inside the refrigerating chamber 11 may quickly achieve an appropriate or target temperature (e.g., 4° C.) using the cool air supplied to the refrigerating chamber 11.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a refrigerator according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-duct and a shelf in the refrigerator of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the refrigerator 100 according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure may include a multi-duct 120 and a plurality of shelves 130.

The multi-duct 120 is fixed to a rear face of the refrigerating chamber 111 in the main body 110, and discharges cool air into the refrigerating chamber 111. The multi-duct 120 may include a plurality of first cool air discharge ports 121 and one or more second cool air discharge ports 122. Specifically, the multi-duct 120 may have a vertically-oriented length and may include a plurality of first cool air discharge ports 121 and a plurality of second cool air discharge ports 122 spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the vertical direction.

The first cool air discharge ports 121 may be on the front face of the multi-duct 120, and the first cool air discharge ports 121 may extend towards the front of the multi-duct 120. Accordingly, the cold air flowing into the multi-duct 120 may be discharged to and/or through the front of the multi-duct 120. In some embodiments, the multi-duct 120 is in the refrigerating chamber 111, as an example, but the position and shape of the multi-duct 120 are not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 2. For example, the multi-duct 120 may be in the freezing chamber 112, or may have a shape extended or elongated in the left-right direction. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-3, three first cool air discharge ports 121 are provided as an example. However, the number of the first cool air discharge ports 121 is not limited thereto. For example, four or more first cool air discharge ports 121 may be on the front face of the multi-duct 120.

The second cool air discharge port 122 may be on the front face or side face of the multi-duct 120. In this case, the internal cool air in the multi-duct 120 may be discharged directly to the refrigerating chamber 111 through the second cool air discharge port 122.

The multi-duct 120 may be connected to a plurality of shelves 130. A plurality of shelves 130 may be in the refrigerating chamber 112 or the freezing chamber 113 to form a space for storing food. Specifically, the shelves 130 may have a predetermined thickness and may have a plate or substantially planar form, on which food may be placed or stored. In addition, a cool air inlet 131 through which cool air is supplied may be on a first side of each shelf 130.

The cool air inlet 131 may be on the first side of the shelf 130 and may have a shape corresponding to the first cool air discharge port 121 of the multi-duct 120. Specifically, the cool air inlet 131 may be on the rear face of the shelf 130, and may fit securely to the first cool air discharge port 121. Further, one or more of the side faces of the shelf 130 may be coupled and/or fixed to the inside face of the refrigerating chamber 111 or the freezing chamber 112. Thus, the cool air discharged through the first cool air discharge port 121 may be introduced into the shelf 130 through the cool air inlet 131. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the multi-duct 120 and the shelves 130 fit together as an example, but the combination of the multi-duct 120 and the shelves 130 is not limited thereto. For example, the multi-duct 120 and the shelves 130 may be coupled using a separate coupling member.

One or more third cool air discharge ports 132 may be on a lower surface of the shelf 130. The third cool air discharge port(s) 132 may discharge the cool air from inside the shelf 130, and a plurality of cool air discharge ports 132 may be on the lower surface of the shelf 130. Thus, the cool air supplied from the multi-duct 120 to the shelf 130 may be discharged from the shelf 130 through the third cool air discharge port(s) 132. That is, a space inside the shelf 130 may comprise a flow path for the cool air. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, three third cool air discharge ports 132 (one rectangular, two square) are on the lower surface of the shelf 130 as an example. However, the number, shape and position of the third cool air discharge ports 132 are not limited thereto. For example, the shelves 130 may include four or more third cool air discharge ports 132 on the lower surface thereof. Alternatively, one or more (e.g., a plurality of) third cool air discharge ports 132 may be on a side face of the shelf 130.

Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the refrigerator 100 having the above-described structure will be described.

First, the multi-duct 120 may be fixed on the rear face of the refrigerating chamber 111, and may be supplied with cool air from an evaporator 117. Further, the multi-duct 120 may include a plurality of first cool air discharge ports 121 extending towards the front of the multi-duct 120. In this case, the plurality of first cool air discharge ports 121 may be spaced at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction along the multi-duct 120. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cool air generated by the evaporator 117 is supplied to the multi-duct 120 along a flow path separate from that to the freezing compartment 112 as an example. However, the refrigerator 110 may be configured such that the cool air of the freezing chamber 112 may be supplied to the multi-duct 120.

The first cool air discharge ports 121 extending toward the front of the multi-duct 120 may be coupled to the shelves 130. Specifically, each shelf 130 may include a body (not identified) comprising a flow path through which the cool air may flow and may include a cool air inlet 131 to which a corresponding first cool air discharge port 121 is connected to a first side of the body. The cool air inlet 131 may be configured to introduce the cool air into the body of the shelf 130. Further, a second side of the body may include one or more third cool air discharge ports 132 configured to discharge the cool air from the cool air flow path to the inside of the refrigerating chamber 211. The cool air inlet 131 may protrude rearward from the rear face of the shelf 130, and the plurality of third cool air discharge ports 132 may be on a lower surface of the shelf 130.

The cool air inlet 131 of the shelf 130 may be coupled to and/or may communicate with the first cool air discharge port 121 of the multi-duct 120. Specifically, the cool air inlet 131 and the first cool air discharge port 121 may be communicatively coupled so that the cool air discharged from the multi-duct 120 may be introduced into the shelf 130 through the cool air inlet 131. Further, the cool air inside the shelf 130 may be discharged through the plurality of third cool air discharge ports 132 on the lower surface.

As the cool air is discharged from the lower surface of the shelf 130, the cool air may be provided to food stored on another shelf 130.

Further, as the shelf 130 extending horizontally through the refrigerating chamber 111 includes a flow path for the cool air, it is possible to efficiently supply the cool air to the entire interior of the refrigerator, thereby shortening the time for supplying the cool air inside the refrigerator.

The foregoing detailed description illustrates the disclosure as one or more examples. Further, the foregoing is intended to illustrate and explain embodiments of the disclosure, and the disclosure may be utilized in various other combinations, modifications and environments. That is, it is possible to be changed or modified within the scope of the concept of the disclosure in this specification, the scope of disclosure and the equivalent scope and/or the skill or knowledge of the disclosure. The embodiments described are intended to illustrate the best mode for carrying out the technical idea of the disclosure, and various modifications may be made to the specific applications and uses of the disclosure. Therefore, the detailed description is not intended to limit the disclosure to the disclosed embodiments. Further, the appended claims should be construed to include other embodiments. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator, comprising: a main body having one or more storage spaces; one or more doors, each configured to open and close at least one of the one or more storage spaces; one or more shelves in the one or more storage spaces and having a plate or substantially planar form and a predetermined thickness, each of the one or more shelves being configured to store or support food; a cool air supply device configured to supply cool air and/or to maintain the one or more storage spaces at a predetermined temperature; and a multi-duct including a first cool air discharge port, configured to receive the cool air from the cool air supply device, provide the cool air to the one or more storage spaces, and/or discharge the cool air, wherein each of the one or more shelves includes a body comprising a flow path therein through which the cool air may flow, the body has a first side comprising a cool air inlet connected to the first cool air discharge port configured to introduce the cool air into the flow path, and a second side comprising one or more third cool air discharge ports configured to discharge the cool air from the flow path to the one or more storage spaces.
 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first cool air discharge port is on a front face of the multi-duct.
 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the first cool air discharge port extends in front of the multi-duct and is communicatively coupled to the cool air inlet.
 4. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the multi-duct has a length that is oriented vertically in the one or more storage spaces.
 5. The refrigerator according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of first cool air discharge ports are spaced at a predetermined interval vertically along the multi-duct.
 6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the body has a side face coupled to an inner side or face of the one or more storage spaces.
 7. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more shelves comprises a plurality of the third cool air discharge ports.
 8. The refrigerator according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of the third cool air discharge ports are on a lowermost surface of each of the one or more shelves.
 9. A shelf for a storage space of a refrigerator and configured to be coupled to a multi-duct that is configured to receive cool air from a cool air supply device in the refrigerator, the shelf comprising: a cool air inlet configured to be communicatively coupled to the multi-duct; and one or more cool air discharge ports configured to discharge the cool air from the cool air inlet, and a flow path in the shelf, configured to discharge the cool air from the multi-duct to the storage space.
 10. The shelf according to claim 9, wherein the refrigerator includes a plurality of storage spaces.
 11. The shelf according to claim 9, wherein the cool air inlet is on a rear face of the shelf.
 12. The shelf according to claim 9, wherein the one or more cool air discharge ports are on a lower surface of the shelf.
 13. The shelf according to claim 10, wherein the one or more cool air discharge ports are configured to provide the cool air to food on another shelf below the shelf.
 14. The shelf according to claim 10, comprising a side face configured to be coupled to an inside face of the storage space.
 15. The shelf according to claim 14, wherein the cool air inlet is configured to be communicatively coupled to the multi-duct.
 16. The shelf according to claim 15, wherein the cool air inlet is configured to fit with a discharge port of the multi-duct. 